Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Oct 2023
Comment Multicenter StudyInfluence of socio-economic status on functional recovery after ARDS caused by SARS-CoV-2: the multicentre, observational RECOVIDS study.
Survivors after acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at high risk of developing respiratory sequelae and functional impairment. The healthcare crisis caused by the pandemic hit socially disadvantaged populations. We aimed to evaluate the influence of socio-economic status on respiratory sequelae after COVID-19 ARDS. ⋯ In COVID-19 ARDS survivors, socio-economic status had no significant influence on respiratory sequelae 6 months after ICU discharge.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2024
ReviewChallenges for a broad international implementation of the current severe community-acquired pneumonia guidelines.
Severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) remains one of the leading causes of admission to the intensive care unit, thus consuming a large share of resources and is associated with high mortality rates worldwide. The evidence generated by clinical studies in the last decade was translated into recommendations according to the first published guidelines focusing on severe community-acquired pneumonia. Despite the advances proposed by the present guidelines, several challenges preclude the prompt implementation of these diagnostic and therapeutic measures. The present article discusses the challenges for the broad implementation of the sCAP guidelines and proposes solutions when applicable.
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Intensive care medicine · Apr 2024
Meta AnalysisHypotension during intensive care stay and mortality and morbidity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aim of this study is to provide a summary of the existing literature on the association between hypotension during intensive care unit (ICU) stay and mortality and morbidity, and to assess whether there is an exposure-severity relationship between hypotension exposure and patient outcomes. ⋯ Exposure to hypotension during ICU stay was associated with increased mortality and AKI in the majority of included studies, and associations for both outcomes increased with increasing hypotension severity. The meta-analysis reinforced the descriptive findings regarding mortality but did not yield similar support for AKI.
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Intensive care medicine · Mar 2024
ReviewContemporary management of major haemorrhage in critical care.
Haemorrhagic shock is frequent in critical care settings and responsible for a high mortality rate due to multiple organ dysfunction and coagulopathy. The management of critically ill patients with bleeding and shock is complex, and treatment of these patients must be rapid and definitive. ⋯ Early recognition of bleeding and coagulopathy, understanding the underlying pathophysiology related to specific disease states, and the development of individualised management protocols are important for optimal outcomes. This review describes the contemporary understanding of the pathophysiology of various types of coagulopathic bleeding; the diagnosis and management of critically ill bleeding patients, including major haemorrhage protocols and post-transfusion management; and finally highlights recent areas of opportunity to better understand optimal management strategies for managing bleeding in the intensive care unit (ICU).
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Immunocompromised patients account for an increasing proportion of the typical intensive care unit (ICU) case-mix. Because of the increased availability of new drugs for cancer and auto-immune diseases, and improvement in the care of the most severely immunocompromised ICU patients (including those with hematologic malignancies), critically ill immunocompromised patients form a highly heterogeneous patient population. Furthermore, a large number of ICU patients with no apparent immunosuppression also harbor underlying conditions altering their immune response, or develop ICU-acquired immune deficiencies as a result of sepsis, trauma or major surgery. ⋯ Recently, several large observational studies have shed light on some of the epidemiological specificities of these infections-as well as on the dynamics of colonization and infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria-in these patients, and these will be discussed in this review. Immunocompromised patients are also at higher risk than non-immunocompromised hosts of fungal and viral infections, and the diagnostic and therapeutic management of these infections will be covered. Finally, we will suggest some important areas of future investigation.